At the press conference introducing Phil Jackson as President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks, team owner James Dolan said the conversations between the two started before Christmas at a party at Irving Azoff’s home (he’s a musical manager best known for being the guy in charge of the Eagles). From there conversations and a…

J.J. Redick has missed more than a month and counting with a bulging disc in his back. He’s a strong shooter and underrated defender – the type of role player the Clippers surely want for their playoff run. Or not? The Orange County Register (hat tip: Matt Moore of Eye on Basketball): The team will…

The Clippers beat the Lakers, 142-94, Thursday night – the biggest loss in Lakers history. In the spirit of Lakers schadenfreude, let’s dig a little deeper into the blowout: 48 – Margin of victory/defeat, the largest for the Clippers/Lakers in each franchise’s history 3 – Years since any team has been beaten so badly. The…

For both the Clippers and the Rockets, the conventional wisdom is the same: If they can defend well and consistently in the playoffs they move into contender status. Wednesday night it was the Clippers that defended when it mattered — the Rockets shot just 33 percent in the fourth quarter. Combine that with some impressive…

We have a new team at the top and the bottom of PBT’s weekly NBA Power Rankings. Miami’s defense is back and propelled them to a couple wins that have them back on top of the chart. It has taken some sustained losing — a real effort — on the part of a Sixers team…

Because it was the same knee where he had his ACL repaired, the Knicks were holding their collective breath when Iman Shumpert went in for an MRI after tweaking his knee Wednesday night. The results were as good as could have been hoped for — it is just a sprain and Shumpert will be out…

It’s the one day on the NBA calendar you know is going to be like a roller coaster — rumors are going to fly, deals are going to appear close then fall apart, complete fabrications will fascinate a fan base who will then blame a GM for not making them reality, and in the end…

There was progress made on talks Wednesday between the Knicks and the Clippers that centered around a trade involving Iman Shumpert. It would have been a disaster for the Knicks, who would have received Darren Collison (who isn’t good) and Matt Barnes or Reggie Bullock in exchange for Shumpert and Raymond Felton. Discussions eventually faded,…

A report earlier on Wednesday had the Knicks engaged in trade talks with the Clippers that would send Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton to Los Angeles in exchange for Darren Collison and Reggie Bullock. Despite getting out from under Felton’s contract, which is essentially for two more seasons beyond this one considering his player option…

The Knicks may finally have found a team willing to take on Iman Shumpert and given them back a new point guard, something they have desperately been seeking. New York is talking to the Los Angeles Clippers about a swap that would bring Shumpert to the Clippers and send Darren Collison back to New York,…

It’s going to be Roy Hibbert. If you were going to bet on one sure thing out of the NBA’s awards this season, you should bet on Roy Hibbert being named Defensive Player of the Year. More than Durant as MVP or Michael Carter-Williams as Rookie of the Year, Hibbert is a lock for DPOY.…

Wednesday night’s contest between the Heat and the Clippers was so entertaining that we could honestly drop a half-dozen highlights here that would all be worthy of your time. Instead, we’ll focus on this defensive gem from LeBron James, who was able to close incredibly quickly and perfectly time his chasedown rejection of Darren Collison…

The Clippers have gone 11-6 since Chris Paul went out Jan. 3 with a separated shoulder. It’s been an impressive run, with Blake Griffin stepping up and showing off a more well-rounded game. In those 17 games the Clippers have averaged 111.7 points per 100 possessions, best in the NBA. It makes you wonder how…

This was a nationally televised against a top-four team in the West in the Clippers — these are the kind of games that shake the Heat out of their mid-season malaise. And when the Heat play like they did early Wednesday night it is a beautiful thing. Miami’s first quarter was as good as they…

The Clippers have been impressive with Chris Paul out, having gone 10-3 in this stretch (heading into Thursday’s game at Golden State). Blake Griffin has stepped up and his mid-range jumper has become a real weapon, Darren Collison has been solid at the point and the Clipper offense has been the best in the NBA…

NEW YORK – The Clippers were a middle of the pack playoff team in the loaded Western Conference, before Chris Paul went down with a shoulder injury that could keep him out up to five weeks. Common sense would dictate that they see an immediate drop-off in overall play and production, but the absence of…

Winner: Luol Deng Deng is going to a team that desperately needs him. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ small forwards have a PER of 9.2 and yield a PER of 15.5 to opposing small forwards, according to 82Games. That’s a horrific net PER of –6.3. Of the 150 positions in the NBA (five per team), only three have have…

Our quick look around the NBA, or what you missed while watching one heck of a freshman quarterback… Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin, Corey Brewer, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic (Minnesota’s starters). The Timberwolves blew out the Sixers and the starters were a key reason — in 21 minutes the starting five put up 65 points and…

Our quick look around the NBA, or what you missed while reading about how Charles Dickens’ classic “Christmas Carroll” almost didn’t get published… Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves. Kevin Love is not going to own up to it, but this came off as a “are all of you really voting for Blake Griffin as an All-Star…

If you watched Thursday night’s Thunder win over the Clippers, and compared it to the first time these two teams met — at least up to the point in that first game when Serge Ibaka was ejected — you could come away saying that the Thunder are just flat out better than the Clippers. At…

Each week the PBT writers sit at a virtual roundtable, just like the knights of King Arthur, drink mead and discuss the NBA topic of the day. This week’s question: Kurt Helin: There are a few candidates here, but after seeing them in person opening night I will say the Clippers (and I picked them…

The Mavericks were so desperate to find a point guard last season, they started Darren Collison, Mike James, Derek Fisher and Dominique Jones in a futile attempt to keep throwing floor generals at the wall until one stuck. O.J. Mayo started all 82 games at shooting guard, but his play did not impress Rick Carlisle.…

Last season: For the first time in his career, Dirk Nowitzki missed a chunk of the season due to major knee surgery. Dallas started 12-15 without their star German then promptly dropped 8-of-9 after his return, putting them in a deep hole. The result was the players grew “.500 beards” they let grow like they…